'It isn’t me,' Gators coach says of shark photo gone viral

Wednesday

May 10, 2017 at 6:00 PM

Robbie Andreu @RobbieAndreu

GAINESVILLE — What had been a light and casual question-and-answer session with a few members of the media Tuesday night took a serious turn at the end when the Florida coach was asked about a photo that has gone viral on social media and been linked to him.

“Well, first and foremost, I don’t know who it is, but it isn’t me,” McElwain said, before speaking to the Titletown Gator Club.

McElwain was referring to a picture that started popping up on social media over the weekend of a smiling, naked man lying on top of a dead shark on the deck of a boat. Many, including the person who first posted the photo, have pointed out that the man looks similar to McElwain in the face.

Many have now run with that, inferring (and joking) that it actually is McElwain in the photo, even though the man in the photo appears much heavier than McElwain.

Based on his response Tuesday, McElwain is clearly disturbed that something that isn’t real, that he says isn’t true, could get twisted into what it has become.

When asked his feeling on how something like this could become a story, he said, “I guess that’s for you guys to answer. In the world that we live, what is a story. I just know this: it isn’t me.”

Before making his adamant denial about being the man in the shark photo, McElwain addressed a number of topics, including the new early signing period in December, the status of quarterback Luke Del Rio and the competition at the position, the start-up of Phase 5 (offseason conditioning and player-organized workouts) and the addition this week of two new true freshmen (quarterback Jake Allen and offensive lineman T.J. Moore).

Starting this year, college football will have two signing periods — one in December and one in February.

McElwain said the early signing period will shake things up — and should be revealing.

“I think one of the things it may do, it’s going to force people’s hands, both the schools that have 500 offers out there and also the kids who are maybe taking reservations waiting for something,” he said. “You’re going to find out how committed they are on maybe some of those. Time will tell. We’ll sign the guys that are ready to go and you’ll still get the recruiting through the season.

“It’s going to show guys’ hands. We’re going to encourage (signing early). And yet, if somebody’s not ready, I get it. We’ll keep recruiting them. But that’ll probably give you some indication of where the guy really is.

“It’s like any rule change. You’re going to see some of the pitfalls and see some of the good things with it. Time will tell on that one.”

While the early signing period has been a popular story during the offseason, the Gators’ focus is on what’s coming this summer, starting with lifting and conditioning and the players organizing to conduct their own practice sessions.

McElwain calls it Phase 5.

“As we talk about Phase 5, it’s really part of the commitment and the willingness to strain to really put yourself out there when nobody is in the stands cheering you on and the value of that we’ll find out,” he said.

One player who might not be doing a lot of straining is Del Rio, the former starting quarterback who is still recovering from double shoulder surgery. He has not been cleared to throw yet, McElwain said.

“I know he’s going through a lot of the rehab shoulder things that you do in the training room and with the physical therapist and that kind of stuff,” he said. “The actual hard-core lifting, he hasn’t done yet. But we won’t rush it.”

While Del Rio continues to recover, four quarterbacks will take turns throwing to the receivers and backs this summer — Feleipe Franks, who ended the spring on top of the depth chart, Kyle Trask, early enrollee Kadarius Toney and Allen.

“The big thing there, No. 1, is obviously the time that they spend together just playing catch out there, routes on air, and the one-on-ones with the DBs that they do on their own,” McElwain said. “There will be plenty of that. Kyle is still a little, right now, a little tender on that scope or whatever the heck he had (with his knee). It’s nothing major. He’s going to be ready to go. That will force Jake to probably get in and do some things with those guys on their own a whole lot earlier.”

Allen and Moore, who graduated from high school last week, passed their physicals Tuesday and have already started working out with the team.

McElwain said he’s excited about the potential of both.

“I think really No. 1 (for Allen) is fitting in and showing his place as a leader,” he said. “And then doing the best he can do learning from those guys so when we get an opportunity to do the installs and that type of stuff he’s up on it and is familiar with the nomenclature.

“(Moore) is a guy that when we got on him, we were really excited about. I think the versatility, his ability to play both inside and outside, his feet, the way he moves. Really more than that, the way he finishes. It’s one of those things where he definitely plays through the whistle. I am excited about that.”